Means for protecting the operatives of railway rolling-stock against injury



I n. E. Man a: G. R. WILLIAMS. j MEANS FOR PBOTBGTING THE OPEBATIVES 0PRAILWAY ROLLING STOCK AGAINST INJURY.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1908..

' Patented J an. 12, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

D. E. LAHEY & G. R. WILLIAMS. MEANS FOR PROTECTING THE OPERATIVES orRAILWAY ROLLING s rocx AGAINS INJURY.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1908,

Patented Jan. 12,1909.

3 SHEETS- -SHBBT 2.

n15 mmms rznrns cm, \yAsumcrcn, n. c

1). E. LAHEY & G, R. WILLIAMS. MEANS FOR PROTECTING THE OPEBATIVES 0FRAILWAY ROLLING STOCK AGAINST INJURY.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909. A

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

DENNIS E. LAHEY, OF GLEN JEAN, AND GEORGE H. WILLIAMS, OF THURMOND, WESTVIRGINIA.

MEANS FOR PROTECTING THE OPERATIVES OF RAILWAY ROLLING-STOCK AGAINSTINJURY.

1'0 all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, DENNIS E. LAHEY and GEORGE R. WILLIAMS, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Glen Jean and Thurmond, respectively, inthe county of Fayette and State of West Virginia, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Means for Protecting the Operatives ofRailway Rolling-Stock Against Injury, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention pertains tomeans for protecting the operatives of railwayrolling stock against injury; and it has for its broad and generalobject to provide means for supporting, carrying and preventing the fallof an operative positioned over or adjacent to the meeting portions oftwo pieces of rolling stock in the event of such pieces pulling apart orbeing otherwise accidentally separated.

The invention is designed more particularly for supporting, carrying andpreventing the fall of a locomotive fireman should the locomotive andits tender in any way become disconnected while the fireman is engagedin shoveling coal from the tender to the fire-box of the locomotive, andthe invention in all its details will be fully understood from thefollowing description and claims when the same are read in connectionwith the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification,in which:

Figure l is a side elevation, partly broken away, illustrating portionsof a locomotive and tender, with our improvements properly arrangedrelative thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken in the planeindicated by the line 28 of Fig. lz'. 6., in a plane above the platformand upright guards of our improvements, and showing the locomotive andtender as separated. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of our improvementsper se. Fig. l is an enlarged perspective view of our improvements inproper work ing position but detached from the locomotive and tender.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of thedrawings, referring to which:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 15, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Serial No. 438,620.

A is a locomotive, and B is the tender thereof, which may be andpreferably are constructed and coupled in the conventional manner,though we would have it distinctly understood that they may beconstructed and connected in any other manner consonant with the purposeof our invention without involving departure from the scope of theinvention as defined in our appended claims.

In carrying our invention into effect we provide a platform, preferablyof metal, connected with and maintained in a horizontal or substantiallyhorizontal position from the locomotive, and adapted to normally rest inthe tender and between the same and the locomotive, and we also providethe platform with guard means for preventing a fireman or other employeefalling therefrom and consequently from the platform. Thus it will bemanifest that a safe footing is afforded a fireman while he is engagedin shoveling coal from the tender to the locomotive and while he ispassing from the locomotive cab to the tender and vice versa; and itwill also be manifest that in the event of the locomotive and the tenderbeing separated in any manner whatsoever while the fireman is performinghis work or is making the passage stated, the platform and the firemanthereon will be carried with the locomotive, and the fireman will besaved from a fall between the locomotive and the tender and the injuryor violent death incident thereto. This will be appreciated as animportant desideratum when it is borne in mind that the operation of thesteam railways of this and other countries has been attended in the pastby the deaths of many firemen due to falls between locomotives and theirtenders following sep aration of the said pieces of rolling stock whilethe firemen were standing over or adjacent to the meeting portions ofthe same.

In the present and best practical embodiment of our invention of whichwe are cognizant, the platform referred to comprises a rear, majorsection C shaped to rest between and also in front of the usual sideportions of the tender and having an aperture (1 through which accessmay be gained to the pin ordinarily employed to couple the locomotiveand tender together, and a front and comparatively small section D,flexibly connected at E E to and adapted to swing vertically on the rearsection C. The said rear section C is connected through chains F withthe lower portion of the locomotive, and the said front section D isconnected with the transverse sill G of the locomotive through themedium of hangers H which are hinged to the front section and arebolted, pref r b y i a deta h mann r t th said sill G. The flexibleconnections E E between the rear platform section C and the frontplatform section D are preferably,

though not necessarily, made up respectively of a'member b pivoted tothe section C,'a member 0 hinged to and adapted to swing vertically onthe member I) and having a longitudinal slot d, and a headed bolt 6extending loosely through said slot and carried by the section D. Byvirtue of this it will be apparent that the section D is adapted to moveup and down with the locomotive without transmitting such movements tothe major section G, and also, that the section I) is adapted to sway ormove horizontally with respect to the section 0, see Fig. 4, so as toenable the platform to properly accommodate itself to the locomotive andtender when the same are taking curvesz'. 0., passing around a curve orpassing over uneven tracks.

By virtue of the front section of the platform being detachablyconnected with the sill of the locomotive and connected to swingvertically on the rear platform section, it will be understood that whenthe front section is detached from the locomotive and swung upwardly,access may be readily gained to' the parts below the front section orany purpose desired.

The guard means on the platform may be any description suitable to itspurpose, though we prefer that it comprise side sec-. tions formed byposts f and cables 9, and a rear end section formed by chains hextending between the rear posts and hooked or otherwise detachablyconnected to one of the same. The cables 9 are connected at theirforward ends in a detachable or other suitable manner with thelocomotive cab, with a View of preventing a lateral fall of the firemanwhile passing between the cab and the tender, and the purpose ofdetachably connecting the chains h to one of the rear posts f is topermit of said chains being lowered while the fireman is engaged intaking coal with a shovel from the tender.

Intermediate the posts f on the platform 7 section C and the upperportion of the locomotivecab are four (more or less) cables or chains M,which have for, their ofiice to suspend the platform and maintain thesame in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position when thelocomotive is separated from the tender and the weight of the fireman isimposed on said platform. In this connection it will be noted that therear section C of the platform may and preferably does normally bear onthe floor of the tender B and yet in the event of the locomotive andtender being separated as stated, the platform will draw out ofthetender and will then be maintained in an approximately horizontalposition by virtue of its connection with the locomotive; also, thatwhen the separation of locomotive and tender takes place while thefireman is on the platform, the fireman will be carried by the platformand prevented from falling from the same, and he may readily pass fromthe platform to his seat in the locomotive cab.

With a view of holding the rear section C of the platform down on thebottom of the tender without interfering with the capacity of theplatform to draw out of the tender, we provide notches a in said sectionC to receive lag bolts a secured in the tender.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that notwithstanding thepractical advantages peculiar to our improvements, the said improvementsadd only slightly to the cost of a locomotive and its tender; also, thatthe improvements are susceptible of being er peditiously and easilyapplied to and used in conjunction with ordinary locomotives and tenderssuch as at present in general use.

As hereinbefore stated, the construction we show and describeconstitutes the best practical embodiment of our invention of which weare aware, but it is obvious that in the future practice'of theinvention, various changes in the form, construction and relativearrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the inventionas defined in the claims appended.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is:

1. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, and a platformcarried by the locomotive and separable from the tender and comprising afront section hinged to and adapted to swing vertically on the locomdtive, a rear section extending into the tender, and connecting deviceshinged to one section to swing vertically thereon and connected with andadapted to move horizontally independently ofthe other section, andupright guard means at the sides of the platform and also at the endthereof remote from the locomotive.

2. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, and a platformcarried by the locomotive and separable from the tender and comprising afront section hinged to and adapted to swing vertically on thelocomotive, a rear section extending into the tender, and connectingdevices hinged to one section to swing vertically thereon and connectedwith and adapted to move horizontally independently of the othersection, and suspension means interposed between the upper portion ofthe locomotive and the platform for hanging the latter from the former.

3. The combination of a piece of railway rolling stock, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of said piece sufiicientlyfar to rest above an adjacent piece, and upright guard means at thesides of the platform and also at the end thereof remote from thefirst-named piece of rolling stock.

at. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of the locomotive and alsoextending into the tender and separable from the latter, and uprightguard means at the sides of the platform and also at the end thereofremote from the locomotive.

5. The combination of a piece of railway rolling stock, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of said piece suiiicientlyfar to rest above an adjacent piece, suspension means interposed betweenthe upper portion of the first-named piece of rolling stock and theplatform for hanging the latter from the former, and upright guard meansat the sides of the platform and also at the end thereof remote from thefirstnamed piece of rolling stock.

6. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of the locomotive and alsoextending into the tender and separable from the latter, meansinterposed between the upper portion of the locomotive and the platformfor hanging the latter from the former, and guard means at the sidesofthe platform and also at the end thereof remote from the locomotive.

7. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, and a platformseparable from the tender and comprising a front section hinged to andadapted to swing vertically on the locomotive, and a rear sectionextending into the tender and connected with the front section by meanswhich enable it to move horizontally independently of the front section.

8. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, and a platformseparable from the tender and comprising a front section hinged to andadapted to swing vertically on the locomotive, a rear section extendinginto the tender, and connecting devices hinged to one section to swingverticallv thereon and connected with and adapted to move horizontallyindependently of the other section.

9. The combination of a locomotive, the

tender thereof, and a platform separable from the tender and comprisinga front section hinged to and adapted to swing vertically on thelocomotive, a rear section extending into the tender, and connectingdevices 'hinged to one section to swing vertically thereon and connectedwith and adapted to move horizontally independently of the othersection, suspension means interposed between the upper portion of thelocomotive and the platform for hanging the latter from the former, andupright guard means at the sides of the platform and also at the endthereof remote from the locomotive.

10. The combination of a locomotive, its tender, and a platformconnected with and suspended from the locomotive and equipped with guardmeans releasable at the rear and connected at the forward end of theplatform with the locomotive; the said platform normally resting in thetender and being separable therefrom.

11. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of the locomotive and alsoextending into the tender and separable from the latter, upright guardmeans at the sides of the locomotive and also at the end thereof remotefrom the locomotive, and suspension means interposed between the sideguard means and the upper portion of the locomotive.

12. The combination of a locomotive, the tender thereof, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of the locomotive and alsoextending into the tender and separable from the latter, upright guardmeans at the sides of the locomotive and also at the end thereof remotefrom the locomotive; said. means comprising posts and chains, andsuspension means interposed between the posts of the guard means and theupper portion of the locomotive.

13. The combination of a locomotive having a cab, a tender, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of the locomotive and alsoextending into the tender and separable from the latter; said platformcomprising sections connected together and capable of vertical andhorizontal movement with respect to each other, and suspension meansinterposed between the upper portion of the locomotive cab and theplatform section remote from the locomotive.

14. The combination. of a locomotive having a cab, a tender, a platformconnected with and extending beyond the end of the locomotive and alsoextending into the tender and inseparable from the latter; said platformcomprising sections connected together and capable of vertical andhorizontal movement with respect to each other, guard means at the sidesof the platform and also at the end thereof remote from the 10001110-tive vertical and horizontal movements betlve, and suspenslon meanslnterposed hetween the two seotlons. tween the upper portlon of thelocomotlve In testlmony vhereof e aflix our s1gnacab and the guard meansonthe platform three in presence of two wltnesse's.

5 sectlon remote from the locolnotlve. DENNIS E LAHEY 15. A platform forthe purpose described comprising lapped sections, a hinged sup- GEORGEVILLIAMS' port for one section, a hinged connection be- Vvitnesses:

tween the two sections, said hinged connecl A. L. HOUGH, 10 MonCOIIIPIlSlIlg means for pernntt'lng rela K ADA RwFOWLER.

